Hello, I’m Mitchell Baker, the CEO of Mozilla. As I do every year, I’ve been reflecting on what’s happened in the world and online – and what it means for Mozilla and the state of the Internet. There’s never just one story or conclusion about what’s happening online around the world. But I am hearing a consistent theme: it can feel like people are no longer in control of the internet and how it affects our lives. And many people have reasonably concluded that this is unlikely to change because irresponsible practices seem to be the norm among tech companies. I know this feeling because I’ve experienced it before. It once seemed inevitable that Microsoft would own the internet forever. They owned the operating systems, the backend server equipment – and an incredible 97% market share. In order to hold onto their monopoly, Microsoft was on a public mission to squash any competitors. That’s the environment in which we created Firefox and the Mozilla project 25 years ago. Against all odds, our open source browser shook up the status quo. It allowed us to build our products differently, to inspire others, and build our own market share. Together, we changed the course of history by building both a vision and a movement towards an internet that is open and accessible to all. We are still in this same fight today. And we have the same significant advantage: we do not have to maximise value for shareholders – we can put people over profit. The Mozilla Foundation is a non-profit organisation, and I'm writing to ask you to make a donation today. Will you make a $25 donation to the Mozilla Foundation today and help build our movement to reclaim the internet? Our fight started 25 years ago with Microsoft, and the fight continues to this day. Are you in? In the early days of Firefox, the internet was in a rapid moment of change and we disrupted the marketplace by challenging the status quo and supporting others to do the same. But today, the internet is also in a time of change – and it’s also in a time of crisis. AI is bringing game changing new capabilities to computing, and frankly, we don’t even fully understand what these will mean for society. Much like in those early days of the internet, the AI space is dominated by a few, large companies that aren’t being transparent about how they build these models and what they do. We are living in a time where too often, people are the product and data is taken for profit. If we don’t act now, I’m concerned that people will lose control over how the internet affects their lives. We don’t need to adopt these irresponsible practices nor do we need to take these companies’ place in the market. Our power comes from the people who decided to look for an alternative. To the people who decided to reclaim control of our experiences online. To reclaim our data, our sanity, our communities and our mental health. The Mozilla community’s power comes from the people who speak truth to power, shape the future by shaking up the present, and make tech open so people are in control. Our power comes from people – people just like you. It’s time for all of us to reclaim the internet. Will you donate to Mozilla today? Please donate $25 to Mozilla today to power this incredible movement to reclaim the internet. Your donation will be used to hold tech companies to account and to build a future where Mozilla continues to be the people’s platform – a place where everyone can control their internet. I am so proud to be a part of this community alongside you and millions of others fighting for an internet that’s open and accessible. Thank you for everything that you do. Mitchell Baker CEO of Mozilla |